"The kitchen cupboards were the shape of guilt, and his palms were oily with the memory of what he'd done".

"The smell of coffee was overpowering, and the image of Hans Huberman's stupid kindness was still in the air".

"They would each greet me like their last true friend, with bones like smoke and their souls trailing behind".

"The only sign of war was a cloud of dust migrating from east to west. It looked through the windows, trying to find a way inside, and as it simultaneously thickened and spread, it turned the trail of humans into apparitions. There were no people on the street any more. They were rumours carrying bags".